Jixr

Hi all, so I have a new to me bike with ultegra 6700 brakes, and I also have some Tektro R741 brakes sitting at home.

The tektros are the highest end they make, but was wondering if they are any better than the ultegras and worth swapping out?

fietsbob

> insert baseless opinion here < maybe just get better brake pads ?

Andrew R Stewart 

Brake are pretty much simple lever systems so besides the bushings and tolerances there's not much difference between same dimensioned brakes (excluding the cam action stuff although these still are manufacturing dependent). I think this is what FB was trying to say. The friction points make more difference then the name on the caliper.


That said I will add that I've seem some pretty fancy finished calipers with really poorly done pivots and therefore a lot of slop. I think this is where an "A" level brand out shines the rest. Andy

Barabaika

You're wrong.
The Tektro's highest end are the R979 brakes for $629 (magnesium and titanium) TRP

Andrew R Stewart 

Which really doesn't change the OP's basic question. Andy

Davet

There's gotta be a nicer way to say that....

cpach

Looking it up, the Tektros will weigh 17g less for the set. Aside from that, they will probably work slightly or considerably less well--Shimano calipers are in general excellent, and also are optimized for slightly different cable pull ratio than other brands (in the case of 6700 "New Super SLR" which pulls more cable than other brands, 6600 was "Super SLR" which pulled approximately the same amount as different brands, and "Super SLR EV" for 6800 which has a slightly different cable ratio curve than "New Super SLR"). I'd definitely run the Shimanos given the choice.

dairyseb

Thats a good question that I have too. I weight around 90 kg and I found the tektro r741 that came stock with my CAAD 12 is not powerfull enough for riding in the mountains.

I already change the pads for some swisstop pad and I experienced a 5% increase in braking power. I also increased my braking power by 5% by setting the pads correctly (toe in).

I went to a bike shop and test the feel of ultegra brake lever with ultegra brake (6800 version) and wow, I was amazed.

Anyone experience caad 12 brake upgrade?

Thanks

alcjphil

Me too. Ultegra brake callipers are very high quality and optimized to work with work with the matching brake levers. This is not to denigrate the quality of Tektro products, but you should stick with the Ultegra brake callipers.

Barabaika

You should true the wheels.
Then move the brake pads as close to the rims as possible, 1-2 mm away.
Turn the brake adjusters to keep the distance when the pads wear out.

If your pad<->rim distance is 5 mm or the wheels are not true, what do you expect?

dairyseb

My wheel are perfectly true and my brake is well adjusted, pads are about 2-3 mm from the rims, toe in. Unfortunately, my wheels,mavic aksium, is flexing under my 90 kg so I can't go closer then that.

I just want to know if by switching brake caliper from tektro r741 to ultegra 6800, I will have a noticeable increase in braking power to justify spending 100 buck on new brakes.

Davet

I installed a set of 6800 brake calipers, which replaced a set of 6700 calipers, and noticed a very distinct improvement in brake feel, modulation and relative brake power. I also run Kool Stop salmon brake pads on all my bikes. That combo gives me great confidence in my braking.

You may want to try the switch from your Tektro pads to the Kool Stop pads first to see if that works better with your Tektro brakes. If that doesn't satisfy you, those pads will fit right in the 6800 calipers without issues.

dairyseb

Hi, thanks for you feedback! I already change stock pads for some koolstop. I did notice a small improvement, but nothing huge.

The 6800 series seems really good from what you are saying.

Barabaika

Do you have this radially-laced 20-spoke wheel?
A good reliable wheel should have 32 or 36 spokes.

dairyseb

Exactly, they come stock with the caad 12. My problem is really more with brake feel than with flex.

dairyseb

I will clean up the wheels rims with degreaser, hugeee difference.

However, i'm still looking for someone who upgrade from r741.

Thanks

oldbobcat

What he said, if you're using 6700 levers. If not, I'd probably still use the 6700 calipers, anyway. They're only heavier than Dura-Ace, which is considered the gold standard.

Regarding setup, yes, true the wheels. Setting lever free play (distance traveled before the pads hit the rim) is a personal choice, but you don't want to ever bottom out the lever against the handlebar. It's more important to center the pads so they hit the side of the rim squarely, with no amount of pad hanging over the top or bottom of the braking surface. Then it's important to center the caliper so both pads hit the rim simultaneously. That's what the little set screw on the top or side of the caliper is for, but be careful--loosen it too much and it falls out. and it does change the height of the pads relative to the rim. Watch carefully when you test the brake. If the pads push the rim to one side, they're not centered.

davidad

I have had better luck with shimano DA pads in all weather.

fietsbob

Kool Stop Salmon compound, but I pay attention, so leave less to Luck.

evan326

I bought a caad12 with the same brakes and weigh 68 kg, I immediately sold the tektro brakes. They gave me zero confidence. I got ultegra 6800 brakes, and had the same reaction. Each time I hit the brakes I still giggle at the difference in performance. I added swissstop bxp pads recently, and they made a small difference for the better. I would definitely recommend the ultegra 6800 brakes for your caad.
Today I just got my 9100 takeoff brakes, so I have to pull off the ultegra brakes and try the dura ace now.

dairyseb

Nice thanks ! Thats exactly what I wanted to know!

Can you give me a % of brake impovement you got?

Did you also change the brake cable or you kept the one who came with the bike ?

Regars,

evan326

Regars?
I only changed the brake caliper. The ultegra brakes with stock pads on my aksiums with 25mm grand prix 4000 sII, I would say was 85% better than the tektro brakes in my opinion. Huge, like HOLY FU**ING S**T, these are better. After getting the swissstop pads, I would say maybe 15% more? It was noticeable, but not as extreme as going from the tektros to ultegra. Only changing the calipers was just because the bike was less than 50 miles old at the time, and it wasn't worth the hassle at the time. I am soon getting a set of jagwire elite link, my RD cable is definitely stretched.
My bike started as a 2016 CAAD12 105. If you want to totally nerd out on my weight weenie spreadsheet, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1138027437

dairyseb

Nice stuff ! I saw that you are currently using the hylix carbon seatpost. It is the one from ebay? I was scare that seatpost wasn't solid enought

I think I will buy the ultegra the ultegra caliper from what you are saying.

dairyseb

I just pulled the trigger on a pair of 6800 caliper

I will keep informed of how it feel compare to the tektro r741.

evan326

Yea, it's the one from ebay. On weight weenies it is the 25.4mm post of choice, other than that you only really have enve or M*** which are both $250+ I would recommend buying from the seller Ian instead of pingthy or whatever. The second guy has given me some issues, I reported him to ebay. I hope you have the same grin on your face I did when I first felt the difference between the tektro and ultegra 6800 brakes.